An Anglican priest in the Umuahia Diocese, Ven. Chike Onuigbo, narrowly escaped death after a Toyota Chryster vehicle he was driving suddenly caught fire and burnt to ashes along the Uzuakoli–Ubani–Akara Road in Abia State.
Ven. Onuigbo, who serves at St. Thomas Church, Umuana, said the incident occurred on Thursday at about 3:15 p.m. while he was travelling from Umuahia to Uzuakoli to deliver the repaired vehicle to his father.
Speaking with ABN TV, the cleric explained that shortly after passing an army checkpoint near an estate at Ubani and continuing his journey, he heard an unusual sound from the vehicle, which was immediately followed by thick smoke from the engine compartment. He said he quickly pulled over, but the car doors locked while smoke filled the interior.
According to him, he managed to escape by climbing through the window before the fire intensified.
Good Samaritans and commuters at the scene reportedly made frantic efforts to extinguish the fire using more than ten fire extinguishers, but the flames eventually overwhelmed the vehicle, which burnt completely to ashes within minutes.
Ven. Onuigbo expressed gratitude to God for sparing his life and appreciated the compassion and bravery of road users who assisted him during the emergency.
He noted that the vehicle belonged to his aged father, the traditional ruler of Amoji Imenyi Autonomous Community in Bende Local Government Area, adding that the outcome could have been tragic if his father had been inside the car at the time.
No casualty was recorded in the incident, while the exact cause of the fire has yet to be officially determined.
